Muskoka Conservancy has received the unanimous endorsement of the Township of Muskoka Lakes Council on a package of planning approvals that were the last step in establishing this 82-acre nature reserve. The pretty conservation property features valleys and streams, poor fen, rock outcroppings and mature forest situated inland between Lake Joseph and Lake Rosseau.

“It’s great news for all of us,” said David Jones, who represents the group of neighbours who backed the conservation initiative. “Turning our fight against an inappropriate development into the founding of a new nature reserve will make everyone on the lake happy.”

In late 2020, Muskoka Conservancy was able to purchase approximately 102 acres with frontage on Peninsula Road near Port Carling. As part of the $1-million fundraising process to acquire the land, the Conservancy agreed to transfer seven small lot additions to six of the neighbouring landowners. The approval of the consents, along with rezoning the retained 82-acres as environmentally protected, officially establishes the Pinelands Bay Nature Reserve.

“This is a classic example of how neighbouring landowners can work with the Conservancy to preserve a significant natural area for future generations,” said Bob Weekes, Muskoka Conservancy President. “We are most grateful to them and to the Township of Muskoka Lakes Council.”

The property has a contentious history, having been previously owned by a real estate development firm that was pressuring for planning approvals. The applications became the subject of Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) hearings that were contested by concerned neighbours. After significant spending and fighting through the planning process, the neighbours were able to stop the development. But the feeling of victory didn’t last. A short while after the OMB hearing, the development company struck a deal with a construction company to purchase the land.

“Here we go again, is what we all were thinking at the time,” says Andy Burgess, a Lake Joseph resident and key organizer among the neighbours. “But as it turns out, the owner of the construction firm was also a cottager on Lake Joseph, and he shared our concern for the future of Muskoka’s natural heritage.”

After convincing the construction company to defer the contract to purchase to them, the neighbours embarked on the task of raising funds. After initially struggling, the neighbours approached Muskoka Conservancy, the local land trust with a mission to conserve nature.

“By having the Conservancy acquire the property, it made the transaction significantly more attractive for our group,” said Burgess, “First, it was less expensive – we each received a charitable tax receipt for the money we donated. It also meant that our group would not have the ongoing property taxes and maintenance costs of the property. And, finally, the property would now be preserved forever.”

Muskoka Conservancy protects forty-eight properties adding up to over 3,100 acres. These conservation lands feature over 50,000 feet of big lake shoreline, hundreds of acres of species rich wetlands, and thousands of acres of mature forests.



“We are absolutely thrilled with the support of the community, Muskoka Lakes Council, and everyone who helped along the way,” said Scott Young of Muskoka Conservancy. “It was a team effort.”